It's Too Late
by Naseka
Summary: What if Clarisse and Joseph didn't marry in PD2? One-shot. R & R.


Prologue: We all know what Mia said – it doesn't need to be repeated, just like everything else in the god-damned movie…

After hearing the words, Clarisse shook her head and whispered, "I'm sorry, Mia, I can't."

"Grandma!"

She gave the earpiece back to Charlotte and straightened up her jacket as she walked out of the hall. Mia watched her leave and decided that something needed to be done about the guests, "Umm…excuse me, may I have your attention please? Just incase you were wondering, yes there will still be a dinner held up at the palace later on tonight, so I hope you can all come. Thankyou."

She picked up her dress and started, once again, running back up the isle. She stopped to ask Joseph where her grandma was and he pointed behind him to the room she had been in before the ceremony started. Clarisse was sitting in the armchair with her head in her hands, she wasn't crying, she just seemed a little frustrated, "Grandma, are you crazy?"

"He doesn't want me, Amelia…I was too late."

"You're not too late! Grandma, Joe loves you, I can tell. I'm sure he'd-"

"Would you please stop trying to play match-maker? Joseph and I are more than capable of making our own decisions."

"What is it you're afraid of?"

"I beg your pardon!"

"What are you afraid of? Being turned down? Believe me, he won't turn you down!"

Clarisse stood up and walked out of the room, everybody was leaving, so she stood at the door next to Joseph and said her goodbyes to them all. Mia had followed her out to farewell the guests.

"Grandma, I really think you should-"

"I don't care what you think I should do, young lady, this is my life and I'll do as I please with it."

"No offence grandma, but if this is your life, then your life sucks!"

She hurried out to the carriage and stepped in it before Clarisse could reply.

"Shall we leave as well, your majesty?"

She nodded to Joseph, but didn't make eye contact with him, "Yes, take me home please."

He drove her home, watching her through the rear view mirror as she fiddled with the small bouquet of posies in her hands. She looked up and caught his gaze momentarily before staring back down at her flowers. There were no words spoken for the duration of the trip, only thoughts.

Mia had said her life sucked, what did she mean by this? Did her life "suck" just because there wasn't a man to occupy it? Or was it because she was near retirement and had still not been with the love of her life? She didn't know, all she knew was that she wanted to get the night over and done with. The reception was going to be tough now that she had lost her favourite dance partner, it was going to be impossible to get through the night without screaming. All she wanted to do was go home, take a nice long bath and go to bed, but she couldn't, duty called.

A few weeks ago Mia had asked Clarisse to put Joseph down as a guest at the reception, so Clarisse seated him next to herself. She was regretting it now though.

After all the guests piled in and took their seats, Clarisse, Mia and Joseph entered and took theirs. Everyone stared in disbelief, 'Why is he sitting with the queen?' they asked, 'Maybe that thing about him and the queen is true…'

He knew what they were thinking, but the inadequacy died down a little after they began eating, as everybody was enjoying their meals.

Mia purposely leaned forward in order to catch Joseph's attention, "You know what Joe? You're like a grandfather to me."

"And you my dear, are like the granddaughter I never had."

"Hey, here's an idea, why don't you and grandma get married? You know, make it official."

Both Clarisse and Joseph started choking on their food and banging their hands on the table, which caused everyone to stare at them. Mia felt proud of herself for bringing her thoughts out into the open, "Will you please excuse me, I have to go to the ladies room."

She got up and skipped over to the bathroom to spy on them. She didn't see them talk to each other, nor did she even see them look at each other. All of a sudden Mia saw Clarisse standing up and became frantic as she watched her walk in her direction.

"Uh-oh!"

She ducked into the fancy cubical and waited. Her ears pricked as the main door came open and she heard footsteps, "Amelia, I know you're in here."

Mia didn't move.

"Amelia! Come out of there at once!"

"I'm not coming out until you tell Joseph how you feel."

She sweetened her voice, "Mia…darling come out, I need to talk to you."

"Like, I'm a little busy here grandma, if you know what I mean?"

"What could you possibly be doing in there that takes so long?"

She flushed the toilet and opened the door, "Gee, I dunno, maybe I was doing a-"

"Mia! I don't want you to help Joseph and I get together."

"I thought you said you loved him!"

"I do…it's just…"

"What? What is so wrong with you two hooking up?"

"Hooking…up? What does this mean?"

"It means getting together! God, talk about spending your life in a bubble…"

"I…"

Mia washed her hands and walked to the door, "Well grandma, I wish you every bit of happiness for when you're lying alone on your deathbed with no-one to comfort you except maybe your dog."

Clarisse held her stomach and fought the lump forming in her throat. She stared at herself in the mirror and begged herself not to cry. She knew Mia was right, she would die alone if she didn't take action. It was only when Lady Jerome came into the room that Clarisse directed her attention away from the mirror. She smiled at the woman and walked back out to the dining room to face her fears.

"Joseph, would you please escort me to my office after dinner?"

"Of course, your majesty."

Mia smiled to herself and winked at her grandmother, who just looked away and continued eating.

After many courses, dinner was finally over and everybody started piling into the ballroom. Joseph followed Clarisse up to her office and shut the door. She walked slowly over to the window while he stood at the door, "Joseph I…"

She closed her mouth and looked at the stars above, "I need you…"

He raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat, waiting anxiously for her next words.

"I mean I need you…to sign something…um…"

She searched through her drawer and handed him a sheet of paper, "Here."

His excitement shattered as he realised it was an official resignation form, he signed it and handed it back to her, "Thankyou Joseph…for everything."

"My job, madam."

He left the room and went straight to his own, he wanted to leave right then and there, but he couldn't – there were still six days left until retirement. How he wished she hadn't added those extra words, 'I need you' alone would have kept him satisfied. Slowly and carefully he pulled a suitcase out from under his bed and ran his hands across the leather before opening it and filling it withclothes. His eyes were drawn to the photo on the bedside drawer, it was her. He stared at it for a moment and then lay it face down, deciding that it would be the one memory he left behind.

"So what were you and Joe doing in your office, grandma? Oh gross, what if I don't want to know? Eww! Don't tell me! Eww! …Well? "

"Mia! I am sick to death of you hassling me about this! I am a grown woman, I have been one for longer than you and I know how to make my own decisions! Now I do not wish for you to disturb me for the rest of the evening and you are never to discuss my private life with me, or anybody else for that matter, ever again, is that clear?"

Mia felt the tears forming in her eyes, "I only ever wanted you to be happy, grandma," she whispered before walking back to her guests.

Clarisse was quite relieved when the party was over; she retired to her suite and told the guards at the door to let nobody in. She needed a drink, a full, strong drink. She slipped into the cold water of the bathtub and drank 18th century wine straight from the bottle, something she had never done before. The chill of the water didn't seem to affect her in any way, the chill of herself however was a different story.

Mia decided she would pay Joseph a visit in order to do some meddling, but when she got to the door, she found it was locked. She knocked for a whole minute before he opened it and let her in.

"Joseph, you have to talk to grandma!"

"She's made it quite clear that she doesn't want anything to do with me."

"She loves you!"

"She's never said so."

"She has! She told me!"

"Well obviously she loves herself more than she does me."

"Can't you just like…propose to her or something?"

"I did, she turned me down."

"What?"

"She turned me down!"

"Well if you asked her again I'm sure she'd accept."

"I've already suffered enough humiliation from that woman to last me a lifetime."

"Fine then, just give up on her!"

"That's what I intend to do. I've made enough moves in this game, it's high time she had a turn."

Mia opened the door, "You're not my pretend grandpa anymore!"

She left the room and slammed the door behind her, Joseph lay back on the bed and watched as a stray fly buzzed its way around the ceiling.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

6 days later…

After finalising his new living arrangements and loading his possessions in the car, Joseph walked back into the palace for the last time and stood against the wall awaiting the coronation of a new queen. Afterwards he would return to America, the land of his birth, where he would live alone in the house he grew up in and enjoy the rest of his life in retirement.

Clarisse observed her sparkling gold gown in the full length mirror and pondered what to do, today was the last day she would ever get to see Joseph, to have the opportunity to tell him how she really felt, to ask him to join her in matrimony. But the high-society people she knew as her "friends" would probably laugh at her if she were to marry him, to them he was a mere servant, but to her he was something more. She straightened the material that hung loosely on her shoulders and hesitantly placed the crown atop her head. This was the last time she would ever wear it, for that she was glad, the thing was so heavy and unbalanced.

Mia waited patiently for her grandmother to arrive on the other side of the stairs so they could walk down them together and trade places. It was unlike her to be so late for something as important as a coronation, but she had a lot on her mind. It was only when the maids disturbed her that she rushed out of the room. Mia was relieved when she finally arrived, it meant the ceremony could begin.

Clarisse's mind began to wonder again when she saw Joseph staring at her. She almost missed a step while coming down the stairs, he smiled at the thought that her granddaughter's clumsiness seemed tobe rubbing off on her. She kept unwillingfully directing her attention to him the whole time, he tried to look elsewhere when she did, but he found it difficult since it would be the last time he ever saw Clarisse Renaldi.

After the crown had been handed over and the party had ended, Joseph took one last look through the palace, saying goodbye to all the friends he had made over the past twenty years. He then walked to the lobby to say goodbye to the two queens (his girls). He first said goodbye to Mia, "Goodbye my dear, I'm sure you will make an excellent queen, I always thought you would."

"Thanks. I'll miss you, Joe."

She hugged him and allowed for a few tears to leave her eyes, "Take care."

"I will."

He broke the hug and looked at Clarisse, "Your majesty…" he kissed her hand, unsure of what to say, she looked as if she were about to cry, "it's been…"

"It has."

"I should be going now or I'll miss my flight."

"You should."

"Unless you have something to say?"

Mia nudged her arm, but she shook her head and said, "Nothing I can think of."

His lip twitched, it was like being rejected all over again, "Goodbye, your majesty."

She watched him walk out the door and he disappeared from her life forever. As soon as he was out of sight, Mia sarcastically clapped her hands, "Bravo grandma, that's a great way to win a man."

Clarisse continued staring at the door, waiting for him to come back and throw his arms around her, but he didn't. Ten minutes of seeing her staring at the door made Mia a little worried, "Grandma, are you alright?"

She snapped out of her trance and shook her head, "What?"

"Are you alright? I mean, if you want to chase after him there's still time."

"A queen never…"

She didn't finish the sentence, for her eyes were directed at the door again, "Grandma?"

"I'm sorry, send my apologies to our guests..."

She started running up the stairs, "I need to be alone."

Joseph spent the whole car-ride to the airport looking out through the window at the country he had lived in for a large majority of his life. He thought about the reason he was leaving it for, the woman. She didn't love him, Mia must have been lying when she told him she did. He tried to push the thought out of his mind and bring in a new thought that he may be able to find a new love, someone who would appreciate him and need him, perhaps even someone he could start a family with, although he thought it may be a little late to start having children at his age.

As soon as Clarisse was safely locked behind the doors of her suite, she allowed herself to cry. She wasn't familiar with all these new emotions, nor was she sure she knew how to deal with them. Normally she wouldn't cry over something as simple as somebody she cared about leaving, but she felt that since she knew she would never see him again it was only natural to cry.

During the middle of the night, she snuck out of her suite and went to Joseph's old room in order to look around and smell the scent he had left. She had never been in there before and was surprised by how clean it was. All that was left was the bed and other furniture that he couldn't take with him on the plane. She sat down on the bed and looked around. She spotted something she was afraid he had accidentally left behind, but realised that it had been purposely left there when she picked it up and saw what it was. She let out further tears when she registered it as a photo of herself; he had left her behind. How could he do such a thing?

Three months went by before Clarisse was willing to admit to herself that Mia could cope on her own, the truth is she didn't want to leave and move into her gigantic empty house on her own. She had no choice but to leave though, Mia told her she was no longer required, however she said in a nice way.

Clarisse took in the contents of her room; the windows, the bathroom, the wallpaper. She remembered the first time she had made love to Rupert on her wedding night, even though he was trying his best to be as gentle with her as he could, she was still in an agonising amount of pain. It didn't take long, however, for her to adjust and start enjoying bedtime with him, but she always felt awkward making love to the man she never loved.

Closing the door behind her, she made her way to the waiting limousine downstairs. It was to take her to her new home, the one she was doomed to die in…alone.

Joseph had already settled into his house, he had even found somebody to share it with. Actually, she just kind of stayed over every night and left before he woke up. She was a nice girl, but she wasn't his type, nor did he see her making any long-term commitments…as if that's stopped him before! Clarisse wasn't his type either, they were complete opposites, but he still managed to fall in love with her.

She arrived at her new house and stared at it for an hour before going inside. She had sent the movers ahead so they could set it all up for her, the bed, the couches, the other miscellaneous furniture. It was all ready for her to start living in, but as she sat on the bed wondering what to do, she realised she would never actually live in the house, not without him. She missed Joseph terribly; he always made her feel alive. She pondered calling him, but knew she couldn't. She decided it was best to wait. But wait for what exactly? Wait for him to call her? No, death would come before he called her.

It didn't take Joseph long to start pretending he had forgotten all about Clarisse. Every morning he would jog, every afternoon he would eat lunch at his favourite restaurant, every evening he would share his bed with the woman he had come to know as "Loosey Lucy". Yet deep down inside he missed the one person who ever made him truly happy.

0o0o0o0o0o0

One month later…

After another cold and lonely night at home with her dog, Clarisse decided that her life would be much more fulfilling if she shared it with someone she loved. He had left her a contact number as well as his address, she thought, perhaps she could surprise him with a visit. She no longer cared about what her old friends would think of her if she decided to chase after the commoner, all she cared about was her own happiness. She decided that she didn't want to wait another day, so she packed a few garments into her suitcase, booked a 10pm flight over the phone and arranged for a limousine to take her to the airport.

While on his morning jog, Joseph heard the cries of a little girl coming from inside a train tunnel and decided to investigate. He found her about forty meters in sitting on the ground with her head in her hands, "I want my mommy!"

He walked up to her and asked her what she was doing there, she told him she was lost, so he tried to pick her up in order to carry her to safety, but she wouldn't let him touch her. He tried again, but she just screamed. A loud horn sounded and he soon realised a collision with themselves and the train was imminent. With one last attempt, he threw the girl over his shoulder and started running. As the train came closer and closer, he increased his speed…but sadly he wasn't fast enough.

Clarisse felt quite relieved and excited when she sat down in the comfortable first class seat of the plane. She couldn't stop herself from smiling, she was finally going to tell Joseph how she felt, she was going to ask him to marry her, he was going to accept and they were going to live happily ever after.

'I'm finally going to get my happy ending,' she thought as she leaned back into her chair and relaxed, oblivious to Joseph's passing.

The end.

* * *

Aww…it made me upset to write some of the scenes in this, but after reading them again they just sound plain corny (lol), well to me anyway, since I wrote it and reading my own writing can never upset me for some reason. 

Yes, I do realise the ending is a bit like my other story, "25 Seconds", but this one's longer and Clarisse doesn't die.

This story was based on a 'chaptered story' idea I had, but I decided that I didn't want to make another chaptered story.

So anyway, you'd better review it now!

I'll make it easier for you, here's a review form lol:

I liked/didn't like:

It was sad/lame when:

Additional comments:


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